Public History Website Project Update: THE END

     Well ladies and gentlemen, my "Public History" website project is a fete accompli.  Just when I thought switching platforms to Weebly would offer a more logical home to an adjusted website hard-copy, I discover that the funny-named hosting site is not all it seems.  First, there was the before-mentioned problem with uploading photographs.  Due to the definition of the personal photographs I used for the site, I was told that the files were too large.  What to do to solve the problem?  Pay to upgrade, of course!  And may I just exclaim, "Seven dollars my ascot!"  In sum, I paid to upgrade my website for six months, which is the temporally shortest option.  Then, I faced an extremely long upload time for each photograph.  In all actuality, the creation of my website took twice as long as it should have.  Additional problems with Weebly came from auto-correct, item orientation rigidity, very limited text options, and a general inflexibility in creation options.  However, please don't be ignorant to the fact that user-error was probably a HUGE factor!  Despite the above, I would recommend Weebly for recreational (even semi-professional) website creation.

     The final title for my website is "An Overview of the Historical Landscaping of Colonial Williamsburg". Our instructor advised us to keep the website simple, as this project is a demonstration of personal possibility.  So, as I also mentioned previously, I tweaked the website outline and focused solely on Colonial Williamsburg.  I have seven tabs and each tab is ordered according to the story arc.  However, each tab can be viewed as a "stand alone" as well.  All of the photography was done by your's truly.  I corresponded each photograph with the subject matter of the page (tab).  Each page also has a sub-title that summarizes the text content in a slightly covert manner.  One of the pages addresses historically appropriate botanicals for a colonial garden.  Each plant listed is in alphabetical order and has a scientific name along with its common name, all grouped according to seasonal considerations and type.  One of my favorite tabs is the "Links and Nods" page.  There are several interesting links to other related websites on this page.  Most notably and one of my all-time favorites is www.botany.com, a superb resource for plant identification.  Upon multiple instances of viewing and reflection, I am genuinely proud of my website.  I feel that it is informative enough without getting bogged down... something we were warned about.  I see it as being fresh, concise, and complete in its described mission.  Sure, there are other facets that I can see adding to supplement the experience, but feel that my website is a cyclical microcosm.  Perfect?  Of course not.  Effective?  Certainly. Let's see if you agree.  Drum-roll please!  The link is...

http://colonialgarden.weebly.com/index.html 

     As I log this final blog entry for my summer "Digital History" course, I reflect back over the past two months.  Though I misunderstood assignment purpose (mission) and ended up not completing early assignments correctly due to confusion, I am leaving this course on a positive note.  I sincerely wish the University of North Alabama's "Public History" program and its students and instructor(s) all of the very best in the future.  NEXT POST?  Back in business baby! 

Public History Website Project Update, Last Week of Posts

     I spent the day's morning browsing some sites that are similar to my soon-to-be-realized Public History website facilitated by Weebly.  Feeling that I needed to do further lay-out research, I perused gardening, landscaping, and topically-appropriate historical websites.  I do believe that I have narrowed down my tabbing topics and now feel that there was really nothing for me to second-guess.  I am trying to over-complicate the website.  The same way that I over-complicate just about everything having to do with my career.  For me, educationally, this website is supposed to serve two purposes.  The first purpose is for the website to serve as a possible model for any future site that I may need/want to create/maintain.  Though my project site concerning "Early North American Colonial Landscaping" will be temporary, its skeleton can show my instructor that I am qualified to produce a website on a professional level in the future.  Thus, the website's grading purpose is fulfilled.  Second, and undeniably tied to the first purpose, the website is supposed to be informative on its given topic.  My over-complicating was introduced through my attempting to match my website outline more closely.  However, I have to remember that the outline that I submitted to the instructor is a best-case scenario and a text-version of website nirvana.  I, however, am not inclined to spend the money to facilitate such a temporary project any longer.  This does bring up a slight addendum to that statement however.  Weebly can not accommodate the high-definition of my photographs and I must upgrade to allow this uploading of content.  That's okay... what's seven bucks!  So, I upgraded to the "Pro" version and am sailing right along.

     Upon speaking with a slightly-peeved (sorry!) and now-shy Tori- a friend of mine from Liverpool, England- about this blog, I may end up keeping it going for a while longer, past the mandatory course period. Mind you, I will revert back to my original format, sans homework assignments.  I have received many e-mails about keeping the blog going and appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read my humble ramblings.  I want to maintain an outlet for sharing- interests, knowledge, and empowering thoughts. As for right now, everything is firmly rooted in positivity- my educational realm and the website that it will soon bear. 

Public History Website Update, 3rd from the Final Post

     To follow in the footsteps of my uber-capable and timely compatriot Kristen, I place a Wednesday- possibly Thursday?- of next week deadline on my website's data entry and polishing.  I have completed the division of materials and mapped out the website visually- on paper and on my dining-room floor!  Data entry will officially begin Sunday.  Due to some personal changes, I will not be using VistaPrint to host my website as previously noted.  Even still, the VistaPrint site is phenomenal and I highly recommend their services.  Again, following in the footsteps of a wise colleague (Hannah), I will be changing to the services of Weebly.  As this project-inspired website is temporary, we- Mandy and I- questioned the use of personal finances for something of this nature.  However, I firmly believe in paid services offered by website hosts/platforms and the benefits they can bring, with search engine listings being the primary perk.  All in all, I certainly am more than ready to finish this project and move on.

     Sorting through the possible website material has been a refreshing experience- literally!  I had forgotten a lot of botanical information.  Especially information concerning our native plants here in the United States.  I visited the Muscle Shoals-area TVA reserve and noted far more plants today than two months ago.  Wild potato vines, coral bells, native hibiscus/mallow (where we used to get marshmallows!), seven-barks/native hydrangeas, cinnamon ferns, passion flowers (with fruit), etc., all making my day of hiking and jogging that much sweeter!  I certainly appreciate TVA allowing visitors to use their property for recreational activities.

     Tomorrow I will be filming a video to add to my website.  I have yet to explore Weebly in-depth and hope I can add a video.  If not, I may have to post it on YouTube and provide a link!  Only time will tell.  I wish everyone a great weekend.       

Public History Website Update

     Out of the gate, please allow me to thank those individuals who read and contributed to my blog: Dr. Carolyn Barske, Mrs. Denise White, and Ms. Amelia Salem.  Thank you so very much for your time and the addition of your beautiful voices, ladies.  After all, this is a blog.  Any blog should be a place inviting and stimulating enough for visitors to peruse and join in the discussion.  Having always abhorred vanity, I tried to conduct this blog as a comfortable and appreciative meeting place for fellow minds, then as a class assignment.  Unfortunately, over 700 page views and scant few comments shows me that I am planning and typing to no avail.  This is NOT a surprise however.  From the moment that I first read of this blog assignment, it was very evident to me- even to the point of me voicing my concerns- that the general population simply doesn't care about our Public History website project progression.  The finished product?  Sure.  I attempted, and somewhat succeeded I believe, in modeling how a Public Historian can meld their mission and their job into a single entity.  How one so insignificant can take accurate history and present it to the public in an entertaining and refreshing way.  It certainly proves the "spoonful of sugar" and "medicine" adage.  If one were to use a blog, in a similar fashion, that utilizes search-engine listings and other marketing strategies, then a following would not be hard to build.  And a voice-from-the-wilderness will be heard!  Hopefully, my upcoming website will benefit in such a way from paid services.  Another adage?  "You have to spend money in order to" build readership!  Oh, 700+ page views is nothing to sneeze at, I know.  For a completely unadvertised blog, I feel very confident with those numbers.  However, it is the lack of contribution and cooperation- and time for modeling- that has ultimately forced me into "doing as the Romans do" and simply fulfilling my course requirements at this time.
     To address my Public History website progression, two words can be effectively used: "it's going."  I am certainly not having any breakdowns- hardware or mental!  Building the Historical Landscaping website is a simple matter of research, time, and data-entry.  That's it folks.  It really is just that simple.  Besides, mental anguish over simplicity does NOT a good blog make.  It only serves to undermine credibility and the potency of one's mission.  Nor does my lamenting about the misusage of time.  I have deemed myself "King of the Procrastinators" more than one time in my life.  But, understand this, I NEVER procrastinate with something that holds my attention and doesn't seem like a chore or an exercise in futility.  As a matter of fact, if something hooks me, I jump at the chance and sometimes cause problems from starting something too early!  All of that is moot in this case.  Being methodical (though in a comical way), I have finished compiling all of my research materials (i.e. text, photographs, videos, diagrams, etc.).  I mean, ALL!  I have been dividing it out into appropriate site-specific piles over the past week.  Actual data-entry will begin towards the end of the week.  That's it, ladies and gentlemen!  Needing to find my motivation once again, I had to take a break for a couple of days.  As we all have experienced, sometimes we have to pull out our inner-astrolabe and re-calibrate our direction.  Our purpose.  The point of it all.  Sometimes, the point gets lost in red tape and the unmotivated actions of others and you have to reimagine your place within this new environment.  To quote the great T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia)- "This I did."      

From A Diamond In The Rough...: Part 1

“A prominent Antwerp diamantaire stepped to the microphone at a diamond conference and told an audience of miners, prospectors, and financiers that the entire diamond business rested on two supports- vanity and greed.  Fortunately, he said, the human race could be relied on for a perpetual supply of both.”     - Matthew Hart, Diamond

 

 

     Never buy a diamond ring from a jewelry store.  Yes, that IS what I said.  With a very large research paper on the trade of "blood diamonds" behind me and having the pleasure of knowing individuals on both sides of the diamond trade, it can certainly be said that I know a bit about the diamond industry.  Just ask my wife Mandy!  Jewelry stores are notorious for astronomical prices attached to inferior stones.  And then when a sale rolls around, that's when the crap really fills the display cases!  More on that later.  The diamond consumer has to keep an eye out for foil-backing, filled cracks, color enhancement, prong-hidden flaws, and other techniques to transform a sow's ear into a faux-silk purse.  Incidentally, turn and run if a jeweler refuses to take a diamond out of its setting for you to inspect.  Just sayin'.  As this post is "Part 1" of a diamond buyer's mini-education, I would like to use a portion of my research paper to address the origins of a diamond.

 

Taken from-

Cash for Carats:

The Mysterious Facets of Sierra Leone’s Conflict Diamonds

by

Mickey J. Lollar

 

 

     The word “diamond” comes from the Greek word “adamas”, which means “unbreakable”.  A diamond is a mineral that is the carbon element in crystalline form.  The carbon atoms are arranged in diamond material in such a way that they form a three-dimensional lattice pattern.  This interlocking lattice structure has strong bonds along all boundaries, thus making a diamond the hardest substance of natural origin.

     Beneath the Earth’s surface, extending approximately 90 to 120 miles, diamonds are formed in eclogite and peridotite.  There, underneath the superficial continents, temperatures exceed 1650° Fahrenheit, with pressures exceeding 45,000 times the normal pressure at sea-level.  After remaining in those conditions for millions of years, turbulent instability within the earth forces the diamonds and accompanying magma to the surface.  As the material moves towards the surface, it leaves a tunnel known as a “pipe”.  Igneous kimberlite and/or lamproite are the host rocks for any diamonds that have remained in the “pipes” after a surface eruption.  After the diamonds are deposited on the Earth’s surface, erosion carries the stones to neighboring streams, rivers, and, sometimes, the ocean.  “Alluvial deposits” are those found when diamond material makes its way to streams and rivers and represent the area where the highest quality diamonds are found due to their survival in abrasive conditions. 

 

     Though I have been slightly under the weather, and will tweak and add more tomorrow, the lines between the world of diamonds and the Public History website that I am currently constructing are obvious.  Just as a lapidary takes a piece of rough material and works it into something sought-after, so too am I to transform raw information into an aesthetically pleasing and informatively transparent website for the public.  On that front, I declare, "so far, so good."  I have found all of the raw information that I need and am presently faceting it into appropriate parcels for consumption.  Currently I am sorting all of the "Historical Landscaping of Colonial Williamsburg" information into physical piles, according to subject and placement on the website itself.  As done with certain genres of writing,  I am basically creating the website in our dining room!  You should see it when I write a mystery.  Clothes-lines!  Fortunately, Mandy is used to my creative creativity.  In the end?  Of course!  Polish it up!  But, that's a bit of time away however.  Please check back later, as this entry was written to fulfill an assignment requirement concerning progress, but not to my standards due to a weary mind and body.  Thank you. 



Postcards from the Edge... of My Convergent Desk!

     Please allow me to use the following to metaphorically illustrate a current negative in my life...

The desired condition of my personal office-

The ACTUAL condition of my personal office-

     I sat down in front of my home-office desk the other day and proceeded to wall-eye the complete disarray that seemed to engulf the entire room like a papery "Kanagawa Great Wave".  However, no goggles or air-tanks will help me sort through this ocean of paper, books, unprocessed artifacts, and maps.  The only lighthouse beckoning me from these turbulent waters is my mother.  How fitting.  My consistent and steadfast lifeboat.  She and I will take the plunge together, wading and wreck-diving like underwater archaeologists (Public History career reference # 1), in preparation for the coming autumnal rains.  The flood of paperwork and writings, resource materials, new finds, and client files that the autumn brings with its apple-crisp winds and jewel-toned colors.  As I sat there, contemplating a scheme that I have proposed to Mandy (the wife) a thousand times over that involves the Fire Department and an open window, I noticed fragments of paper poking from under larger items atop my desk.  Most of these pieces of paper were white, some yellow, and one or two were pink.  It turned out that these attention-depraved pieces of paper were my "Personal Postcards"- notes to myself about things I need to complete, ideas swirling in my tempestuous mind, or simple shopping lists.  Just as silt settles on the ocean floor, these pieces of paper fell victim to the large waves of books and dusty relics that ebb and flow across my desk.  I shifted some bulk and excavated all of the "postcards" I could find. The shopping lists are now moot points.  Obviously.  My "To Do" lists are still fairly valid.  And still fairly undone.  The pieces of paper that document random ideas were filed away in the appropriate places.  My artifacts are organized... off of my desk, on other flat, safe surfaces.  As the summer comes to a close, they will be cataloged and put into storage.  Though reminiscent of the great, painfully woeful Celtic (Gaelic) song "Ailein Duinn" (please see the video below), my desk-inspired portrayal of the over-wrought King Lear has reminded me that there are a few "postcards" that I have not shared with you!  Incidentally, the scheme that my lovely Mandy will never seem to agree to simply involves me setting a harmless fire on the top of my desk and having the Fire Department to blow it out of an opened nearby window with their fire-hose.  Mandy has the audacity to claim that all of my "________ will not fit out that window!!!"  Oh well.

     Here are a few crumpled "Postcards" that survived the initial purge for sharing...

POSTCARD 1:  "Corn Casserole" recipe from my Mother-In-Law, Mrs. Carol White-

1 can of French-style green beans

1 can of shoe-peg corn

1 can of cream of celery soup

1/2 cup of chopped green onion

1 cup of grated Cheddar cheese

1 cup of sour cream

1 stick of butter, melted

1 package of Ritz crackers, crushed into crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS:  Mix the corn, beans, soup, onions, and sour cream.  Place the mixture in a casserole dish.  Top the mixture with the grated cheese, butter, and cracker crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Enjoy these "fruits" of the season!

POSTCARD 2:  Sharing a link to the world-

There have been times that those who love me and I have questioned my immersion in "Public History".  Not my love for the subject matter, not my ability, not the budding program at U.N.A., but the employment possibilities.  Much in the same way that I dealt with public education seeking pseudo-History teachers (coaches who are certified to babysit in History; a curse of remaining in a rural area), I may have similar troubles dealing with the good ol' U.S.A.'s economic woes.  If Miss Cleo sees that in my future, then I may very well make good on another dream that I have filed away: teaching overseas.  I invite everyone who has "dared" to dream similarly to check out this awesome website:

www.escapeartist.com, then click on "Jobs Overseas"

POSTCARD 3:  You are what you eat-

I have been remiss as a historian for not mentioning a recent discovery at a place I called home for nearly two weeks this past Spring- Jamestown(e), Virginia.  So, using the "title" of this "postcard" as a context clue, might you have some idea of what I'm about to say?  That's right... Oh yes they did!  Let's review for those of you who may have had a pseudo-History teacher.  The Powhatan Indians trapped 300 Jamestown settlers in the fort in the fall of 1609.  The "Starving Time" saw food supplies severed and only 60 colonists survived the winter.  There were reports of cannibalism from colonists.  However, these have been generally dismissed by "academia" as a manipulative way to shame the Virginia Company.  But dismiss no more, my dusty, self-conscious, and crabby peers.  Behold (or should I say "Be-Head"?)!  The proof is in the, um, well, pudding?  No, the skull!  Archaeologists have unearthed a partial human skull and tibia from a fort's kitchen cellar trash pile.  The remains belonged to a 14-year-old girl and show flesh-separating knife marks.  Also found in the kitchen cellar site were the remains of rats, horses, and dogs.  And now, "Summer Recipe" number... no.

POSTCARD 4:  Mickey's Gardening Secrets

SECRET # 2:  If you want to know which perennials hold up best in your area, check out old graveyards and abandoned houses (Public History career reference # 2 and 3).  You'll see which ones are the toughest survivors, even with neglect.  And you just may uncover some heirloom varieties, giving you a lesson in plant history for your locale (Public History career reference # 4).

POSTCARD 5:  All historians have a platform-

www.vistaprint.com offers a world of marketing goodies.  From business cards, to stationery, to postcards (!), to clothing, to banners, to invitations, to photographs, to calendars, to websites, "Vistaprint" is a one-stop shop with excellent pricing.  My mother even recommends it to all of her "Floral Design" students.  I mention this wonderland of advertising as a reminder to my readers that it is on their platform that I will build my Public History "Historical Landscaping" website.  Though there are numerous "FREE" website platforms on which to build out there in cyber-space, I have chosen to pay a small monthly fee in order to increase visibility.  After all, it is inclusion in the major search engines that will bring visitors.  And bringing visitors to the history is what we Public Historians are all about.  Now that I have all of my "Historical Landscaping" information collected and a platform squared away, it's time to start putting it all together!  Now, what was it again, that led up to Colonial landscaping?

DID YOU KNOW?  (Listen up, you pseudo-History teachers!  You just might learn something.)

     The United Kingdom of Great Britain (Hello Hannah and Wes!  These two "Public History" classmates are there, as I type, taking part in a "Study Abroad" opportunity.) came into being in 1707, when the governments of England and Scotland united.  The term British came to refer to the English and the Scots.

     The monarch and Parliament shared power in 18th-century Britain.  Parliament was gradually getting the upper hand.  It had the power to make laws, levy taxes, and pass the budget.

     A new dynasty, the Hanoverians, took power in 1714.  From the first Hanoverian king, George I, their chief ministers were allowed to handle Parliament and so were powerful.  Robert Walpole was prime minister from 1721 to 1742.

     The middle class wanted Britain's trade and empire expanded.  One place for expansion was North America, where Britain controlled Canada and 13 colonies on the eastern coast of the present United States.  Merchants in the colonial ports of Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Charleston did not want the British government to run their affairs.  Colonies had their own legislatures and often acted independently.

     However, cooperation was not meant to be as the Seven Years' War drained Britain's coffers and the American colonies quickly marched to the drums of a tax-induced revolution... (And we complain about the price of stamps!  Sheesh!)

     As I wad-up the final "postcard" and commit it to the future flames of my burnables, I turn to gaze at my desk once again.  The surface seems calm.  Serene even, with its open spaces, neat stacks, and feng shui-esque knick-knack placements.  But, I know, underneath lies a behemoth, ready to rise from the depths of my failures in multi-tasking.  To sweep any current pre-mommy progress up in its frenzied arms and dragging to the bottom of an ocean of confusion the maelstrom of my interests.  So, to honor my upcoming drowning, take a listen (as we say in my beloved South!) to my FAVORITE Celtic (Gaelic) song... (Please read the translation of lyrics and history on the video screen to experience the full impact of this romantic and tragic song...)

"Ailein Duinn", by Celtic Spirit

YouTube, created and uploaded by Angela Haynie

"Ailein Duinn by Celtic Spirit with Scottish Gaelic lyrics, English translation, and story behind the song. Theme song from the 1995 movie Rob Roy as sung by Karen Matheson. Ailein Duinn means "dark-haired Alan" in Scottish Gaelic. A haunting song set along with beautiful pictures. No copyright infringement intended."

Not Just Another "Vanilla" Blog Post!

"Vision without action is daydream.  Action without

vision is nightmare."   - Japanese Proverb

     My personal time this summer is quite limited.  Historically, one of my favorite warm-weather activities is to garden.  I leave the vegetable gardening in the capable hands of my father, however.  I mean gardening in the sense that I like to raise flowers for my wife and tropicals for our back deck.  Growing up, my mother and father had, and still do, a greenhouse brimming with plants.  During the coldest winter months, one could go to the greenhouse, sit in a hollowed-out nook and almost hear the monkeys chattering in the embracing humidity.  Actually, many books have been read by my mother in that very space.  Having been surrounded by plants my entire life, I have gained a vast amount of knowledge by listening to my parents and working with my botanical "brothers and sisters" through the years.  This summer, I pulled our tropicals from their winter abode and placed them under the shade of nearby oaks.  One mustn't throw such over-wintered plants directly into the sun, unless you like the look of crispy, curled leaves!  Where this summer is different for me is seen in the fact that one-half of our tropicals are still under those trees.  Sure, they are happy.  Our back deck, however, looks a bit bare.  Mind you, Mandy is happy with bare this year, as a summer not too long ago saw two rows of criss-crossing Buddhist prayer flags gracefully blowing in the breeze.  Let me just reiterate: I am an eclectic guy.  A typical summer on our back deck would be framed with sprawling scheffleras, fragrant plumerias, ambitious spurge, French lavender, temperamental geraniums, stalwart petunias, an orchid cactus, and a potted pomegranate.  This summer?  Smatterings from that list.  Not with me this year, due to its happiness near the reassuring tropical conditions of the greenhouse, is my vanilla orchid.  What started out as a leggy cutting, became a emerald green behemoth and one of the favorites of my collection.  Not as many people as you would think know that vanilla comes from a type of orchid.  Thanks to Edmond Albius (1829-1880) and his innovation in the pollination of the vanilla orchid flowers, vanilla became an even hotter commodity through global cultivation.  From the trail-blazing Totonac people of Mexico, to the great orchid-chasing Victorians, to today's use of vanilla in everything from cakes to cologne, the vanilla orchid can certainly be labeled a botanical mover, shaker, and money-maker!

Vanilla Orchid

Vanilla Orchid Flower

Vanilla Orchid Bean that develops from the pollinated flower.

Cured Vanilla Bean, which houses small, flavor-packed seeds.

Mr. Edmond Albius

Wikipedia offers this excellent summary of cultivars:

Article: "Vanilla"

• Bourbon vanilla or Bourbon-Madagascar vanilla, produced from V. planifolia plants introduced from the Americas, is the term used for vanilla from Indian Ocean islands such as Madagascar, the Comoros, and Réunion, formerly the Île Bourbon. It is also used to describe the distinctive vanilla flavor derived from V. planifolia grown successfully in tropical countries such as India.
• Mexican vanilla, made from the native V. planifolia, is produced in much less quantity and marketed as the vanilla from the land of its origin. Vanilla sold in tourist markets around Mexico is sometimes not actual vanilla extract, but is mixed with an extract of the tonka bean, which contains coumarin. Tonka bean extract smells and tastes like vanilla, but coumarin has been shown to cause liver damage in lab animals and is banned in food in the US by the Food and Drug Administration.
• Tahitian vanilla is the name for vanilla from French Polynesia, made with the V. tahitiensis strain. Genetic analysis shows this species is possibly a cultivar from a hybrid-cross of V. planifolia and V. odorata. The species was introduced by French Admiral François Alphonse Hamelin to French Polynesia from the Philippines, where it was introduced from Guatemala by the Manila Galleon trade.
• West Indian vanilla is made from the V. pompona strain grown in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
• The term French vanilla is often used to designate preparations with a strong vanilla aroma, contain vanilla grains and may also contain eggs (especially egg yolks). The appellation originates from the French style of making vanilla ice cream with a custard base, using vanilla pods, cream, and egg yolks. Inclusion of vanilla varietals from any of the former French dependencies or overseas France noted for their exports may in fact be a part of the flavoring, though it may often be coincidental. Alternatively, French vanilla is taken to refer to a vanilla-custard flavor. Syrup labeled as French vanilla may include custard, caramel or butterscotch flavors in addition to vanilla.

     Though the subject has logged a great amount of personal study time, I certainly will not have to worry about addressing the vanilla orchid when I detail Colonial gardening of early America.  Certainly the Colonists knew of the flavoring, but, due to its tropical nature, they did not cultivate the plant.  As I have pieced together materials for my upcoming Public History website concerning American Colonial Historical Landscaping, I have thoroughly enjoyed the head-first dive back into everything Colonial and botanical!  As a preview, and concerning Williamsburg, Virginia, the original gardening habits of such an old colony can be revealed in a number of ways.  Such methods include archaeological excavation, tax records, insurance policies, letters, journals, and maps.  In addition to analyzing the English, French, and Dutch influences on the landscape, anyone looking into authentic Colonial gardening must also consider appropriate plant inclusions.  Widely seen throughout the area were bushes of boxwood; dogwood, redbud, sycamore, oak, and pecan trees; herbs of horseradish, peppermint, sage, thyme, and chamomile; and columbine, butterfly weed, aster, daisy, iris, tulip, poppy, daylily, phlox, thistle, primrose, and peony flowers.  Just to name a few!  Of course, my upcoming website will address these plants, and more, with information and pictures.  Not only that, but I also plan on including such aspects as topiary shapes, architecture such as fencing and bricking patterns, boxwood/holly landscaping patterns, and gardening tips!  So, let's celebrate such ambitious plans for my upcoming Historical Landscaping website with the inaugural installment of...

Mickey's Gardening Secrets

SUMMER 2013

SECRET # 1:  The perennial periwinkle (example: vinca major) makes a superb ground cover for those areas that receive little to no sunlight.  Remember that the term "perennial" means that the plant will come back the following year under normal zone (find your zone below) conditions.

Periwinkle, Vinca Major

Gardening Zones (Simplified), Reference Numbers

NEXT: Viewer Mail!

"Much Ado About Nothing" or "Nothing About Much Ado"?

     Before I address our blog assignments for the next month, please strike up the drum corps for...

DID YOU KNOW?

     Incan society was highly regimented.  Men and women had to marry someone from their own social group.  Women either worked in the home or were priestesses.  In rural areas, the people farmed on terraces watered by irrigation systems.
     The Inca were also great builders.  The building in the capital of Cuzco dazzled European visitors.  The ruins of the abandoned city Machu Picchu show architectural genius.  It was built on mountain peaks far above the Urubamba River.  In one part, a long stairway leads to an elegant stone known to the Inca as the "hitching post of the sun."  It may have been used as a solar observatory.  During sun festivals, the people gathered there to chant to the sun god.

 

"The Hitching Post of the Sun", Machu Picchu, Peru

 

 

      As the "Digital History" course that gave rise to this blog enters into its second month, we- the students of said course- are to detail the trials, tribulations, jubilations, and triumphs of the building of our Public History websites via our blogs.  As we piece together the websites based on our chosen Public History topics, various aspects of the process will undoubtedly stand out.  However, being a gentleman that takes much in stride, I'm not entirely sure that much lamenting will make it to these digital diary pages.  My disposition aside, the process of gathering material, even for my "Historical Landscaping" topic, has been a rather easy task (except getting in obscure book orders!).  As with collecting antiquities, you just have to know where to go!  The next task before me was to choose a platform on which to build this website.  Done: www.vistaprint.com.  I am also a huge fan of their business cards!  Anyway, I have outlined the information to be put onto my website for "Dr. Oracle" (Dr. Barske's Steampunk moniker!).  The outline is extremely detailed and focuses on Colonial landscaping and the use of perennials.  Hey, hey!  Calm it down folks!  It's soon to be up!  Keep your bloomers on!  Ugh.  People are always so feverish for some excitement in their lives.

     I reflect back to some interesting readings for the Discussion Exercises that reminded us of audience, copyright, and content issues.  Though these readings were extremely relative, they offered little in the way of ideas and fell just at the boundaries of general and philosophical.  Making my way through the School of Education, I've had enough flip-flop philosophy!  Pour me some concrete!  So, I turn to a newly purchased book that is one in a line especially written for me: Web Design for Dummies (2013), by Sue Jenkins.  Books for "Dummies" are awesome!  And we all know why I like them... !  Though this Public History project is relatively small scale and ripe with needless neuroses, potential to cure insomniacs, and disappearing bread-crumbs, I am looking forward to testing several personal hypotheses and challenging my marketing skills.  Not only that and all levity aside, I sincerely want to produce a website that is completely accurate, enticingly interesting, and curriculum-inclusive.  Only time will tell, however, if I am talented enough to pull it off!?

    

    

     NEXT: Postcards from the Edge and Viewer Mail!



"Internet? What Sort Of 'Steampunkery' Is This!?", or Blog Assignment 3 (a.k.a. You're Leching On My Homework!)

"Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just

discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own."

- Sydney Harris

     Granted, the Halloween season is not for another three solid months, but as any of my former high school students can attest to, finding just the right Halloween costume for the 2013 festivities is essential.  What are my festive possibilities?  A familiar party?  (Quite possibly!)  A long-term care facility fundraiser?  (Not sure the carnival's date.)  Re-vamp (tee-hee!) 2012's front-porch haunted house for the denizens of Hackleburg?  (Of course!)  A U.N.A. history organization bash?  (Well, if it wasn't deader than the characters in "Twilight"...!)  I'll just have to see.  No matter though, my costumes always have to enhance the occasions, not blend with them.  As the season of honoring our dead creeps in like an eerie mist, I question if there is a better way to honor my current reincarnation than choosing a "Steampunk"-inspired costume.  What is "Steampunk" you ask!?  My, my.  Sit back, wiggle that bum for maximum comfort, and listen (well, look...) up!  

From our friends at Wikipedia.org-

"'Steampunk':  ... is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, Stephen Hunt and China Miéville. Other examples of Steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine."

A "Steampunk" Lap-Top!  How SWEET is this!

An example of "Steampunk" dress.  Goggles are a necessity!!!

Check out this diagram's home: www.thesteampunkbride.com

The "Steampunk" genre appeals to the historian (Victorian era), guy (technology), and writer (Romanticism; Escapism; Jules Verne!) in me.  Wait!  Why all of this pre-Autumnal babble?  Because of my latest "Digital History" blog assignment.

     In the Journal of Victorian Culture of Spring 2005, Patrick Leary had a piece entitled "Googling the Victorians".  (Just think of the awesome symmetry between "Steampunk" and the article had the title been misspelled as "Goggling the Victorians"!  Random thought there folks.)  If interested, I recommend taking a few moments to read it here: http://victorianresearch.org/googling.pdf.  Now, read the schizophrenia as I interview myself about personal experiences with our indelible internet and all of its blending of old and new... (remember that my research project is a website on Historical Landscaping)

1)  "How has the internet influenced my research?"  I really can not say that I use the internet equally to printed materials.  Fortunately, I have a vast historical library (inherited, college, collected, and bought books) and am adding to it all the time.  However, when I need supplemental information and materials, especially photographs, maps, videos, etc., the internet is usually the first choice.  That is, unless I have something particular from a book in mind.  If I am doing research for a major project and use the internet, I usually have to cross-reference several sources of information to make sure I'm accurate.  This takes a while, but humans can be a bit goofy at times... even something as "simple" as copying a date wrong!  As for my upcoming Public History website, a vast majority of my textual information is coming from printed materials and interviews with people who work in the botanical field. (tee-hee again!)       

2)  "Has the internet made sources available to me that might have otherwise been forgotten?"  Other than botanical photographs, not really.  When I plot out a project, I try to think of every angle and where my sources are for each of those angles.  Yeah, just like plotting a book or short-story!  Though the internet can offer the world on a platter for researchers, I am more rooted in printed materials this go-'round.  I do have to mention however, when I submitted my website proposal, I used the internet heavily for bibliographical information.  It is truly invaluable for that!

3)  "Have I ever had a "Grotto" (see article) experience?"  In reference to one discovery leading to the uncovering of something much bigger, I must reference my former understanding of the Halloween (Samhain) holiday and what I know it to be today.  I went from hearing various tales of etymology to studying the subject for a research paper during my undergraduate stint at U.N.A.  Embracing the Celtic roots of the holiday and the celebrations before and after casts a pure light onto its ancient meanings.  As I peeled back each layer of the material, the focus became sharper and previous notions faded with enlightenment.  Pre-Religion, it is.  "Day of the Devil", it is not.  Incidentally, the internet is a place to really become confused on the subject...  

4)  "What are the positives and negatives of the internet when it comes to my research?"  The most positive aspects of the internet for me are accessibility, idea-stimulation, and cross-referencing opportunities.  Truly, the only negative when it comes to my research is conflicting information (a.k.a. accuracy).    

5)  "Can the internet ever substitute for an actual archival experience?"  Yes and no.  As I note below, just visiting an archive is an experience in itself.  All of that history at your finger-tips!  Literally!  Information can be found at both places, however the internet has some information that an archive does not and vice versa.  Now, and in the foreseeable future, both are needed for the same reasons, yet different ones as well.  Quite a paradox, huh.

6)  "A personal archival experience?" and how the internet can't measure up!-  As a Romantic at heart, not to mention a believer in tradition, this question-set must be answered like this: the five (and sometimes six!)-senses that are stimulated when walking into a secure area filled with preserved artifacts of information offer a surreal experience buffet.  And, catching some three-hundred-year-old virus off of a porous piece of parchment!  The internet can't offer that!  Kidding folks.


Just as the concept of "Steampunk" is a blending of the romantic past and the innovative future, so too is the internet a blending of the archives of the past and the limitless possibilities of future preservation.
     As always, thank you so very much for taking the time to read my humble blog.  And, a big shout-out to my new visitors from the Netherlands and Portugal!  Please leave "hellos", comments, thoughts, complaints, additions, and corrections... all are very much appreciated!  Incidentally, if you had trouble seeing the connection between my possible Halloween costume and the discussion of internet research versus archival experience, you might want to try these:

NEXT TIME?  The Grilling of American Public Education and History

Summer 2013 Cooking Series: Favorite Recipe 2

"Man seeks to change the foods available in nature to suit his tastes, 

thereby putting an end to the very essence of life contained in them."

- Sai Baba

One of my favorite pictures aesthically, this is the Nassau, Bahamas courthouse.

PHOTO by Mickey J. Lollar

     Over this wonderful world that we live in and on, there are a number of places that stick in my mind as "Favorite Spots".  Among this personally prestigious list is the public park of the Nassau, Bahamas business district.  Under the colorful canopy of vegetation, a watcher can spot locals and tourists alike enjoying a break from the tropical sun.  Stroll along with me, if you will... (remember to "click" on the photograph to see a much larger version!)

PHOTOS by Mickey J. Lollar, 2012

     In honor of one of my "Favorite Spots", I offer a recipe perfect for summer, collected while visiting the Bahamas in 2012...

Bahamian Potato Salad

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled

3 lg. eggs, hard-boiled

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbs. yellow mustard

2 tbs. dill relish

1 small finger pepper, chopped  (or a dash of hot sauce)

salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:  Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and boil for 8-10 minutes, until just tender.  Drain the potatoes and cool completely.

     Put the cooked potatoes into a large bowl with onion and green pepper.  Chop and add the peeled eggs. Chill.

     Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, dill relish, and hot pepper (or dash of hot sauce).  Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

     Gently fold the mayo-mixture into the bowl of potatoes.  Blend well to coat the potatoes.  Enjoy mon!

UP NEXT?  Filet of Public Education!

An "Oh Crap!", Shout-Out!, and Website Tout

"Forbear to judge, for we are sinners all.

Close up his eyes, and draw the curtain close;

And let us all to meditation."

- Henry VI, of Cardinal Beaufort,

King Henry VI, Part 2, III, iii

Hop in that time-machine and have no fear!  It's definitely time for another...

DID YOU KNOW?

     The earliest humanlike beings, called australopithecines ("southern apes") by their discoverer, Donald Johnson, lived in Africa 3 to 4 million years ago.

     Australopithecines were the first hominids (creatures that walk upright) to make stone tools.

     Homo erectus marks the next stage of human development.  This species dates from about 1.5 million years ago.  These hominids used larger and more varied tools, and were the first to move into parts of Europe and Asia.  They could migrate into colder areas because they were the first beings to make fires deliberately.

Australopithecines

Homo erectus, or me before I shave.

     I hope that this first day of Northern Hemisphere Summer is treating everyone well.  I spent my day working on a bibliography of possible sources for my upcoming "Historical Landscaping" website.  Though a fairly dry well, I made a bit of headway off of the "World Wide Web" and bookstores.  Tomorrow, I will be looking through some that finally came in to Barnes & Noble.  We'll come back to the website in a bit...
     So I upgraded to a "Way-Smarter-Than-Me" phone.  I waited until the very last minute to release my Motorola "Karma".  I LOVE that little brownie-shaped phone!  But, alas, I had to join the 21st century.  I did this releasing and upgrading on the return trip from my technology-free "weekender".  Fiddling with the new Samsung number, I finally found out how to access the internet.  The wonderlust finally left my eyes days after this momentous occasion.  However, it was all for naught.  Two "Discussion" homework exercises were "posted", so as to not maintain my "LATE" status any longer.  Did I succeed in these posts via my new vibrating, dinging, blinking, and byte-eating phone?  Checked today folks.  That's my latest "Oh Crap!" moment.  My "LATE" label still stands...
     Using "Blogger" is an absolute pleasure.  I checked on my blog "Statistics" tonight and see that I have had several international visitors.  Thank you all very much!  I'm talking the beautiful countries of Russia, Japan, Germany, Venezuela, Brazil, Greece, England, Turkey, and the fjords of Finland.  However, I would like to ask this favor: Please, please, please leave a "Hello!", or equivalent in your native tongue, when you visit.  I'd love to have international comments (thoughts, suggestions, information, etc.) too!  My true love is world history and any further connections to this beautiful planet beyond my shores would be very much appreciated, an honor, and very, very cool.
     Returning to the subject of my Public History website, I have been doing a lot of thinking about ways to market the sites- mine and those of my classmates.  I posted the "Plot Structure" diagram (below) to inspire some creative-juice-flowing.  However, I'm not really sure how often my fellow students visit my site!?  Nonetheless, I post, therefore I am.  Here are a few random thoughts...

1)  The websites must be complete microcosms within themselves.  As with writing, loose ends/roads-to-nowhere are sloppy and leave "consumers" with an uneasy and frustrated feeling.  The human animal ALWAYS wants closure.

2)  Continuity is so very important.  Of course continuity in terms of chronology, but I'm speaking of maintaining a theme throughout the entire site.  Writing style/voice, depth of information, even distribution of pictures, page colors, "tabs" accessing the entire realm of one's topic, and a "story" arc over the entire site, just to name a few.

3)  Other than the information of one's topic, we might should include public areas for comments/discussion/topic-related suggestions, picture-posting, reviews for related products/services/etc., videos (of ourselves presenting, as well as public presentations), and an event calendar for designated areas. I'm sure, as time goes on, more will pop into our heads!

4)  Forming alliances with related businesses and educational programs is a MUST!  I am hoping that Dr. Barske- "The Oracle"- will speak with the history professors of U.N.A. and ask that they direct students to the individual sites when the opportunity arises within their lessons.  For example, those instructors concerned with American Colonial History might be interested in my "Historical Landscaping" website that will deal primarily with the styles of Williamsburg, Virginia.  Maybe even botany instructors?  Being a teacher that firmly believes in "across-the-curriculum" instruction, I also believe in "across-the-curriculum" advertising!  As well, having spoke with several nurseries in the Florence area, I plan on advertising their wares if they advertise my site- for information and inspiration.  No matter the topic of a Public History website, there are those in the world who will gladly "scratch your back" if you lend nails as well.

What are we thinking out there folks?!  Let me know and thank you very much to all my visitors!

Summer 2011 Memory: Train-Ride with Mommy!

Website Audience Attraction: After "Discussion" Homework Reflection...

     As my classmates and I move ever closer to creating our own Public History website, the worry of audience-attraction rears its head all too often.  For me, having some strong opinions about it, we should harken back to our days in English Composition to combat the worry of audience-attraction.  Everybody loves a story and it's not a story without a lure, hook, quality text, and supplemental surprises.  So, let's turn our attention to "Plot Structure" for inspiration...

 

 

This plot diagram and other cool information can be found at

www.musik-therapie.at 

 



Summer 2013 Cooking Series: Favorite Recipe 1

     In approximately two days, the northern hemisphere will enter into Summer 2013.  To celebrate the solstice, or Midsummer to my Celtic family, I will be posting some of my favorite summer recipes.  They may not be as much fun as crowning the "Oak King", but at least they will offer some new meal ideas for these long, sweltering days when a kitchen can get hotter than an "Alban Heruin" bonfire!
     Combining two of my great loves, cooking and traveling, this recipe brings a portion of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (who celebrated its 95th year as a city on May 31, 2013) to your home.  Incidentally, if you ever get a chance to visit the beautiful Puerto Vallarta, might I recommend La Ribera Restaurant...

 

 

Chicken Burritos

Recipe makes 4 servings.

 

3 cups of cooked, chopped chicken

 

1 (11/4-oz.) envelope taco seasoning mix

 

1 (16-oz.) can of refried beans

 

6 (8-inch) flour tortillas

 

1 (8-oz.) package of shredded sharp Cheddar chees

 

3 plum tomatoes, diced

 

1 small onion, diced (I am a really big fan of green onions over regular.)

 

ON THE SIDE SUGGESTIONS:  salsa verde, salsa, sour cream

 

INSTRUCTIONS:  Place the chicken and seasoning mix in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal and shake the sucker to coat!

     Spread the refried beans evenly down the center of the flour tortillas.  Top this with the chicken, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, and diced onion; roll them up.  Then, wrap each burrito in foil.

     Bake those little rolled-up goodies at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes.  Serve them with the salsa and sour cream.  Enjoy!  Ole!

 

 



 

http://vacationspuertovallarta.us/cartegories/tours/



 



The 3rd Anniversary included Italian fare, gifts, and...

... a smaller version of the original Bride's Cake!  Though I'm a dude, I'm saying it: "Too cute!"

 

 

 

 

NEXT UP ON THE BLOG: Favorite Recipe and History!